New Jersey’s red-light camera program is a magnet for hostility. The network of never-sleeping robocops churning out millions of dollars in traffic tickets triggers an automatic gag reflex. Our revulsion has been snarky and unwavering.

But even we must concede that last week’s Department of Transportation report, which indicates a reduction in crashes at camera-covered intersections, gives us pause. Because safety is what’s supposed to matter.

The DOT’s report, which looked at data through 2012, says crashes at 22 red-light camera intersections active for at least two years are down 27 percent. More significant, right-angle accidents dropped 60 percent, while rear-end crashes were down 7 percent. Intuitively, those numbers make sense — if they’re accurate.

But critics — such as Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), the state’s loudest anti-camera voice — warn that the samples are too small for firm conclusions. There’s also nothing to explain why crashes at non-camera intersections (New Jersey tracks a nine-intersection control group) fell even further.

So while the DOT stats are dramatic, there are too many unanswered questions to change our vote yet. The state has a decision to make, too: The red-light camera pilot program ends in December.

Stay or go? Here are some issues the state should consider:

• Get the numbers: The camera debate is fueled by clashing statistics: The side with a financial stake, such as vendors and towns collecting the fines, promote studies touting “changes in driver behavior.” The critics have reports, too, showing high rear-end collision rates and huge numbers of tickets for rolling right turns — hardly a traffic menace. To make the right call, New Jersey needs unassailable research.

• Better ways: Before cameras get further approval, what options are out there? Officials should consider longer yellows, better signs and redesigned intersections before turning robocop loose in more than 500 cash-strapped towns.

• Endgame: How far do we invite Big Brother in? Maryland began with red-light cameras and now uses them to churn out speeding tickets, too.

Safety was the storyline when New Jersey launched its pilot program in 2009. Towns chose historically dangerous intersections and proclaimed their hopes that the cameras would help save lives. Then the millions started rolling in — along with data that showed rising rear-end collision rates — and the program looked more like a cash grab than a safe-driving tool.

People have noticed. The program’s approval rating, according to AAA surveys, has plunged from 77 percent before launch to 56 percent today. Two towns — first Brick, now Pohatcong — have decided to pull out.

As a money-maker, red-light cameras are New Jersey’s golden goose. Unblinking cops that spot scofflaws, then drop a big ticket in the mail. In some towns, one intersection is worth $1 million a year.

But the bottom line was always supposed to be driver safety. In that debate, all evidence is welcome — as long as it’s accurate.

After that, the decision will be simple: If, after five years, accident rates haven’t gotten better, the red-light camera program should be branded a failure and kicked to the curb. Allowing a predatory program to continue — one that fleeces drivers for millions while crashes continue to happen — would be a crime.